Latest Campaign News
Below is an update on all the latest campaigns that we are working on. Behind the scenes, we are constantly sending letters, attending meetings, and campaigning for the protection of Exmoor National Park.
From Land to Water: What is shaping our rivers?
21/07/2026
Last month we invited Professor Penny Johnes, Professor of Biogeochemistry at the University of Bristol to give a talk for us in Dulverton on river pollution. Professor Johnes has spent more than thirty years studying the relationship between what happens on land and what happens in our rivers, streams and coastal waters. Her work looks at the causes of river pollution in the round: nutrients from agriculture and sewage, organic matter, livestock waste, pathogens, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and how changes in rainfall, temperature, and river flow exacerbate these pressures. Her presentation is well worth looking at and can be accessed via the link below.
Taking Action on Pet Parasiticides
02/07/2026
We have submitted a response to the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee’s inquiry into pet parasite treatments containing fipronil and imidacloprid. Our evidence highlights a growing body of research showing these chemicals are entering rivers through domestic wastewater, harming freshwater wildlife and exposing significant gaps in current regulation. We’re calling for stronger safeguards and meaningful action to better protect our rivers and the wildlife that depends on them.
Helping to shape the future of uplands
30/06/2026
We submitted a response to The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA), which released a call for evidence on the future of upland farms and landscapes. We highlighted how healthy landscapes depend on healthy rural communities, and that environmental policy should support them both.
This means working with farmers to shape future land use, providing reliable long-term environmental payments to keep family farms viable and protect the landscapes, wildlife and heritage they sustain, and ensuring nature recovery supports local jobs, affordable housing, food infrastructure and opportunities for young people.
Call for action to protect our rivers
25/06/2026
We joined environmentalist Jeff Gill to submit a complaint to the Office for Environmental Protection regarding the regulation of pet parasiticides.
Our concern is that insufficient action is being taken by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate to control the sale and use of flea treatments containing fipronil and imidacloprid – chemicals known to be polluting rivers and harming aquatic wildlife.
With strong scientific evidence already available, we believe the time has come to take meaningful steps towards cleaner rivers and healthier freshwater ecosystems.
Protecting species-rich grasslands
19/03/2026
We have contacted Defra and are writing to other key policymakers to appeal against the recent decision to withdraw the proposed species-rich grassland option (GRH6) from the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
The GRH6 option offered a significant financial incentive for farmers and landowners to protect and restore species-rich grasslands—one of the UK’s most fragile and biodiverse habitats. Removing GRH6 will undermine efforts to safeguard and restore these vital habitats, and without accessible support, there is a real risk that remaining species-rich grasslands could be lost or further degraded.
Tree guard recycling scheme
12/03/2026
We joined together with Plastic Free Exmoor and Exmoor National Park Authority to meet with tree guard manufacturers, Tubex, to explore the possibility of a dedicated recycling scheme. As tree and hedge planting continues across Exmoor, initiatives like this will be vital to protect and reduce plastic pollution on Exmoor.
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
20/06/2025
We sent letters and supported Campaign for National Parks as they called on the government to not weaken legal protections on National Parks by degrading or removing the protected landscapes duty (s.245 Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023)
Better coverage with fewer masts
10/06/2025
We successfully challenged a proposed new mobile mast outside of Simonsbath and instead promoted the sharing of masts to improve mobile connectivity on Exmoor without harming the landscape. We contacted all national mobile phone companies, reminding them of their statutory duty to further the purposes of National Parks. Since then, a new Government policy was introduced to upgrade 50 existing masts in protected areas to increase coverage without introducing new infrastructure. Find out more here (link to news story).
Lines and Signs
We met with Somerset Highways and Exmoor National Park to ask that they take the conservation of the landscape into account when they are proposing any new road signage or repairs. This was particularly important in relation to any work on bridges.
Hedge Flailing and Path Clearing
A letter to the National Trust and to the Selworthy and Without parish council to query their hedge cutting and path clearing, and the impact that they have on flora and fauna.